◥◥ THE SPRINGS – RIVERVALE

Various Clients: ABN Group and BCG (Australia) Pty Ltd

No. of Dwellings: 201 dwellings and 224 hotel rooms

Location: Rivervale – approximately 2.5 kms east of the Perth Central Area

The Springs is an inner-city Transit Oriented Development precinct, which is being comprehensively redeveloped into a high density residential precinct. Rowe Group played a key role in the strategic planning for The Springs with our involvement including the preparation the Riversdale Road North Precinct Local Development Plan along with securing approval for numerous major development applications.

The Springs is ideally located a short cycling distance from the Perth Central Area and the Burswood Entertainment Precinct – including the soon to be completed Perth Stadium, on the banks of the Swan River. The Springs is being developed for high density mixed use that reflects its enviable location and attributes. Rowe Group has contributed to the strategic planning for The Springs through its preparation of the Design Guidelines / Local Development Plan for the Riversdale Road North Precinct.

Rowe Group’s knowledge of the locality and of the relevant planning framework has been played a key role in our successful approach in securing a number of major development approvals for clients within The Springs, including most recently, approval of BGC’s series of Tribeca residential apartments, the Aloft Hotel and Office developments. The prevailing planning framework operates on a performance basis which provided us with the scope to secure approvals for a range of innovative design outcomes that meet client objectives, satisfy the principles behind applicable planning controls and take into account the specific conditions of development sites.

The primary planning control for development within The Springs is a set of Design Guidelines, which incorporate Detailed Area Plans (now known as ‘Local Development Plans’) for individual development sites. These controls are broad and principle based – they cannot, by nature, take into account the nuances and specific conditions of each individual development site.

In applying for development approval, it has therefore been necessary to seek a number of variations to the ‘deemed-to-comply’ criteria of the Guidelines / Detailed Area Plans. Rowe Group has successfully argued for such variations on the basis that the development application is, notwithstanding any proposed variations, consistent with the underlying principles of the planning controls. These variations have allowed optimum design outcomes to be implemented including greater access to sunlight for north-facing dwellings, better vehicle access and egress to and from the site, greater height, greater plot ratio, parking concessions and greater site cover.

With respect to site cover and plot ratio in particular, the outcomes achieved reflect Rowe Group’s view that plot ratio, as a built form control tool, is limited in scope and value. It is far more important (and useful) to agree on a built form and aesthetic outcome for a development site in the first instance – and whatever plot ratio might be achieved within that form is a secondary consideration.

Rowe Group has successfully obtained approval for all the development applications it has lodged within The Springs. This has been assisted by the positive relationship we have developed with the City of Belmont and the Metro Central Joint Development Assessment Panel. Our pragmatic and proactive approach is helping to convert planned outcomes into on-ground results in the form of apartment buildings, offices and a luxury hotel.